Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Republic; Washington; Marshall; Nemaha; Brown; Cloud; Clay; Riley; Pottawatomie; Jackson; Jefferson; Ottawa; Dickinson; Geary; Morris; Wabaunsee; Shawnee; Douglas; Lyon; Osage; Franklin; Coffey; Anderson
Ottawa County, Kansas severe weather history spans 673 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #442 nationally and #50 in Kansas.
673
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$56.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Ottawa County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ottawa County, Kansas severe weather history averages 9.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 216 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 77 events fall before 1990 and 596 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ottawa County, Kansas record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $50.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ottawa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 376 | 0 | $120K | 4 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 218 | 0 | $728K | 83 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 2 | $50.6M | F3 | 1955–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $4.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1999–2000 |
Decade by decade
Ottawa County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-25 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 25.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 3 | 42 | 169.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-05-01 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-05-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 69.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 1 | 5 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 71.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ottawa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2007 | Tornado | BENNINGTON | 1 | 5 | $0 |
| Sep 25, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 2 | $25.0M | |
| May 26, 2016 | Tornado | NILES | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 25, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down near the intersection of Granite Rd and 190th Rd approximately 3 miles south of the Ottawa State Fishing Lake. It lifted approximately 11 miles north of it's touchdown point, at Rifle Rd between 200th and 210th Rds. 38 structures were destroyed or damaged; including homes, mobile homes, cabins, outbuildings, and small cottages. A mobile home that was anchored to the ground was totally destroyed by the tornado.
Numerous reports of a well formed stove-pipe tornado were received as the storm crossed the Saline/Ottawa County line. The storm was also watched on live TV at the office via storm chaser cameras. The tornado was very well formed and was likely very strong; however, it did not impact many structures so the subsequent rating was EF-1. The extent of the damage was to a gas transfer station along K-18 near Solomon Road in rural Ottawa County. Near the station some power poles were snapped and laying across the roadway. Aside from the gas transfer station a few farmsteads were impacted, with the main damage being some damaged outbuildings. The tornado crossed the Ottawa/Dickinson County line near Barn Road and 3200 Road, and eventually dissipated in an open field in near Manchester.
Widespread damage occurred early Thursday morning across Minneapolis including: large tree trunks uprooted, tree trunks snapped, snapped power poles, a roof torn off a church, and window screens blown off the courthouse. After analysis of radar data, first-hand accounts and pictures, we conclude that straight-line winds of 95 mph produced this damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,819
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Feb 17, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Minneapolis 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ottawa County, Kansas?
673 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $56.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ottawa County?
Hail, with 376 recorded events — 55.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ottawa County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ottawa County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ottawa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ottawa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ottawa County as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ottawa County, Kansas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Osborne County 583
- Pawnee County 765
- Osage County 864
- Phillips County 585
- Norton County 627
- Pottawatomie County 740
Cite this page
“Ottawa County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/ottawa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.